LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Valentine heart game

Students will respond to music through singing, moving, playing instruments, and improvisation while integrating first grade math curriculum and Valentine's Day.

A lesson plan for grade 1 Music Education

Learn more

  • Songs for Teaching: Valentine's Day This website provides songs centered around Valentine's Day (as well as other holidays), and includes teaching tips and audio for each song.

Related pages

  • Dino-rhythms: Students will read rhythm notations written on dinosaur shapes, discover how to play two digit number patterns, create their own rhythm patterns and play rhythms on unpitched percussion instruments.
  • Rhythm stars: This lesson will introduce the main components of rhythm: quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes.
  • Rhythm beginnings: This lesson plan introduces the terms beat, steady beat, and tempo for the first day of rhythm work.

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Learning outcomes

Students will clap rhythm patterns notated on board then make up their own on percussion instruments. They will also be asked to answer addition and subtraction problems.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

35 minutes

Materials/resources

  • set of 25 numbered large hearts
  • set of 25 numbered small hearts
  • board/dry erase marker
  • candy hearts
  • percussion instruments (drum, maraca, sticks, guiro, cabasa, jingle bells, tambourine)
  • music to “Love Somebody”
  • small container for small set of hearts

Pre-activities

Students must know

  • stick notation for quarter, eighth,and half notes.
  • how to keep a steady beat.
  • how to improvise to a song in 4/4 and 2/4 meter.
  • addition and subtraction.

Activities

  1. Students will sing “Love Somebody.”
  2. Students will clap steady beat to song.
  3. Students will clap rhythm patterns from board in stick notation.
  4. Students will improvise their own patterns to go with song.
  5. Place large set of numbered hearts on floor in a large circle numbered side up.
  6. Students stand behind a number.
  7. Play “Love Somebody” while students march around circle of hearts stepping to the steady beat.
  8. Students stop when music stops.
  9. Select a student to draw a numbered heart from the container.
  10. The person standing behind the number drawn will answer a question about math (an addition or subtraction problem).
  11. When students answers correctly they receive a candy heart with a slogan on it which they will read to class. They then choose a percussion instrument and sit in the middle of the circle and improvise a rhythm pattern to go with the song. Continue game adding instruments until all seven are playing then rotate students back into the circle for game. If student answers incorrectly another number is drawn. If a student is chosen that has already won another number is drawn.
  12. End with everyone receiving a candy heart.

Assessment

  • Teacher observation
  • Ask students to notate some of their improvisations
  • Play a pattern and have individuals echo

North Carolina curriculum alignment

Music Education (2001)

Grade 1

  • Goal 2: The learner will play on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
  • Goal 3: The learner will improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
    • Objective 3.01: Improvise an appropriate response to given rhythmic and melodic phrases.
  • Goal 8: The learner will understand relationships between music, the other arts, and content areas outside the arts.
    • Objective 8.02: Identify ways in which the principles and subject matter of other content areas taught in the school are related to those of music.

  • North Carolina Essential Standards

    • Music Education (2010)

      • Grade 1

        • 1.CR.1 Understand global, interdisciplinary, and 21st century connections with music. 1.CR.1.1 Recognize how music is used in customs and traditions of various cultures. 1.CR.1.2 Understand the relationships between music and concepts from other areas.
        • 1.ML.1 Apply the elements of music and musical techniques in order to sing and play music with accuracy and expression. 1.ML.1.1 Use proper technique when singing and playing a variety of music. 1.ML.1.2 Use accurate pitch to imitate three-pitch melodic patterns....
        • 1.MR.1 Understand the interacting elements to respond to music and music performances. 1.MR.1.1 Use corresponding movements or actions to respond to prominent music characteristics (such as patterns in rhythm, melodic contour, dynamics, and form) while listening...